Like A Song
by BananaphoneBob
Summary: She knew that Sasuke was the most popular person in school, and she knew she was probably the least. But she silently hoped that the past few years would've meant something to the Uchiha. Alas, she had quickly learned that wasn't the case. SasuSaku AU


**So, a funny thing happened. Three weeks ago, I said to myself 'Emma, you are gonna update both stories and try to get some one-shots out by the end of the week, because you're away for the weekend.' So, naturally, that's when my computer decided to stop working, and I couldn't do anything about it. Then, last weekend, I _finally_ got myself a laptop, and, I'm determined to get something out to explain my disappearance xD Unfortunately, while I'm waiting for my computer to be fixed, I don't have access to ANY of my stories/chapters, because clever me doesn't back anything up. SO. Have this instead for now.**

**Again, it's different to most of the things I write. It's 25 degrees Celsius outside which, for England, is like a desert. I hate heat. So I'm in more of a foul mood than usual. **

**Summary: She knew that Sasuke was the most popular guy in school, and she knew she was probably the least. But she silently hoped that the past few years would've meant _something_ to the Uchiha. Alas, she had quickly learned that wasn't the case. SasuSaku AU**

**Disclaimer: Please. If I owned Naruto, the manga would HURRY UP and stop yapping on about KABUTO and his FREAKY GLASSES. That is all.**

**Enjoy!**

**Like A Song**

* * *

_A friend is like a song …_

* * *

"I-Is anyone sitting here?"

Dark eyes looked up to observe the pink-haired girl standing in front of the desk. She clutched her backpack tightly, obviously one of those people that got nervous on their first day of school. A slight shrug informed the girl that the seat was unoccupied, and she smiled slightly before sitting down, placing her bag on the desk.

"I'm Sakura. It's nice to meet you!"

The nervousness her voice had previously carried had disappeared, leaving nothing but happiness and confidence. Her emerald green eyes looked into the boy's black ones, undeterred by the cold look he gave her. He glanced down at her outstretched hand, sighed, and turned back to face the board.

Sakura seemed deflated, however, she was persistent to keep up conversation with the male, "You excited for the first day of high school? I am, though I'm a little nervous too. I don't know anyone … Do you know anyone?"

The boy suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He wished he didn't have to go to school at all. He could already see the swarms of girls grouping up and 'subtly' staring at him. He continued to ignore his neighbour and he hoped his new teacher would come in soon.

"Okay, well, cool. I'm glad you're telling me all of this, but maybe you could let _me _talk for a while?"

The boy blinked and turned towards Sakura. Anyone could see how proud she was that she got a reaction. She smiled cheekily, and turned her head as a man walked through the door.

"Hello, class, I am Kakashi Hatake. Now, I'm aware that this is your first year, and you all must be nervous and excited, but I assure you … I won't go easy. Now, I want everyone to stand up one at a time and tell the rest of us your name, your likes and dislikes, and your dreams for the future. We'll start with … you."

He pointed to a random girl near the front, and she shyly stood up, twiddling her thumbs as all eyes were on her.

"H-Hello … m-my name is Hinata …"

After that, the boy began to zone out. He didn't care about any of his classmates' names, it wasn't like he was going to be friends with any of them. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Sakura smiling as she took in everything there was to know about this Hinata girl. He smirked slightly. She certainly was an interesting girl.

"Sasuke."

Sakura blinked and turned to the boy, "What?"

He sighed, "Sasuke. My name."

Realisation hit the girl and she grinned from ear to ear, "Oh. Well, hello, Sasuke. Nice to meet you."

Sasuke just smirked.

* * *

_You can love them for days, months, years …_

* * *

"Give it back."

Sakura laughed loudly as she ran around the school's courtyard, a small book clutched in her small hands. She knew she might as well give up – after all, she was being chased by the fastest runner in the school. She had no hope.

Inevitably, she suddenly felt strong arms wrap around her waist, halting her in her tracks. Her laughter subsided as she screamed, alerting the entire student population that she was, as she often put it, being attacked. People nearby looked up at the commotion, before chuckling and going back to their lives. This scene was a common one to everybody by now, so there was no point trying to intervene.

The small book was roughly taken from Sakura's hands, and the arms around her waist disappeared. Sakura turned to face her captor, her breathing irregular from her unplanned exercise, "Jeez, Sasuke-kun. You're such a party pooper. I was just curious, is all."

Sasuke glared at the girl, "Curiosity killed the cat."

"And I feel sorry for that poor kitty. But I don't see how that would affect me seeing what's in your book."

"Curiosity will _kill you_."

Sakura giggled once more, and sat on the bench beside her friend. She pouted when he made it clear that he was ignoring her, and shuffled closer, "Aww, I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. Pwease forgive me?"

Sasuke glanced at the girl next to him. They had been friends for over a year, since their first day of school. It was pointless trying to avoid her; it was easier to ignore Naruto's love of ramen. So, in the end, he gave in, and let her into his life.

He sighed, knowing that if he ignored her any longer, she would go all out with tears and wailing … seriously, she should get some kind of award for her acting skills.

Sakura smiled and bounced up and down, wobbling the bench, and thus wobbling Sasuke. He scowled at her behaviour, which made her stop instantly, and she settled for just a smile on her lips. Her ears perked as she heard a familiar yell from their blonde best friend, and the two watched as Naruto ran over to them, school bag in hand and a smile on his face. The three sat around that bench for what seemed like hours, and while Naruto babbled and Sakura giggled ...

Sasuke just smirked.

* * *

_But they will eventually fade into the background …_

* * *

"Hey, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke looked up from the lunch table at the pink-haired girl before him. She smiled nervously, trying to ignore the people surrounding him at said table.

"Yeah?"

The other occupants of the table fell silent. Having some random person come over in an attempt to talk to Sasuke happened on a regular basis; him replying to them, however, didn't.

Sakura noticed the change of atmosphere at the table, along with several pairs of eyes staring at her. She shifted from foot to foot, unsure about why she was suddenly so awkward around Sasuke. They had been best friends for almost two years, just because he was sitting with his fellow football players at lunch now didn't mean anything had changed between them.

Right?

"Umm, I was wondering if you wanted to chill at the park when school's over? It's a really nice day, and we haven't hung out for a while …"

A snort was heard on the other side of the table, and Sakura's emerald orbs glanced over to a girl dressed in the skimpy cheerleading outfit their school had. Her red eyes rolled as she pushed her glasses further up her nose, "As if Sasuke-kun would _ever_ wanna hang out with you. I recognise you, you're one of the nerds, right? If I were you, I'd run along back to your little stuttery friend and your rusty old books, coz Sasuke-kun has got _much_ better things to do than 'chill' with a weirdo like you."

A few laughs resounded around the table, and Sakura took a deep breath. Sasuke watched her expression. After knowing her like the back of his hand for the last two years, he knew the face she was pulling. The one that she made to stop herself crying.

Sakura looked back to him as the laughter carried on the more upset she visibly got. He stared right back at her, hoping his eyes could say what his voice couldn't. _I'm sorry_.

Sakura closed her eyes, before opening them to face the girl who made the insult. Karin. Sakura knew that Karin was the head cheerleader, not to mention the 'hottest' girl in the school, though Sakura herself couldn't understand why. She was a bully to anyone she deemed inferior to her, and Sakura would not go down without a fight.

"Firstly, Sasuke-kun has a voice of his own, he doesn't need a ventriloquist. Secondly, so what if I'm a bit of a nerd? At least I don't walk around in a slutty cheerleading uniform acting like I'm the boss. Thirdly, being a weirdo is a good thing. Again, I'd rather be a weirdo than look like you."

Karin's eyes were wide, and the rest of the table sat in silence, the laughter long since died down. Sakura leaned a little closer to the girl, narrowing her eyes, "Also, don't you _dare_ take the piss out of Hinata. She is the nicest person in this school, and unlike you, she has a heart. If I hear you talk crap about her again, I will make sure my 'rusty old books' meet your face."

Sakura stood straight, and nodded to Sasuke, before turning around and walking back to her small table where Hinata was waiting for her.

"Hey, Karin, she got you good."

Karin glared and threw some food at Kiba, who was still laughing along with a couple of others, "Oh please. Like I care what she thinks. I just find it funny that she thinks she has a chance with Sasuke-kun. Right, Sasuke-kun?"

Karin turned to Sasuke, who had simply gone back to eating his food, as if nothing had happened. Karin shrugged and turned back to her food and her friends, "So anyway, Ino, did you _see_ what that Tenten girl was wearing today?"

Sasuke tuned his friends out, ignoring Karin and Ino's gossip, ignoring Kiba and Naruto's arguments, ignoring the stare he could feel from the other side of the room. Ignoring the sounds of laughter and food and fun …

Sasuke just sighed.

* * *

_Life will go on, as if the song never existed …_

* * *

"Sasuke-kun, wait up!"

Upon hearing a feminine voice calling his name, Sasuke turned his head to see Sakura weaving through the crowd of students, several books in hand. By the time she reached him, she was out of breath, yet still mustered up the strength to give him the biggest smile ever.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after school? We're not far from graduation, and I feel like I've barely seen you for ages. So, what do you say? You, me, a couch, and a terrible horror movie?"

Sasuke stared blankly. The reason it felt like she hadn't seen him for ages, he mused, was because she hadn't. As school became less of a place of learning and more a place to build reputation, his good looks and cool demeanour had earned him a spot at the top of the popularity ladder. While Sakura, the somewhat geeky bookworm, had successfully earned her place at the bottom. It wasn't either person's fault, but Sasuke had always been a seeker of power, so while there were still a few weeks of school left, he was determined to keep the power he had gained over the last couple of years.

Which meant stay away from the people at the bottom of the ladder.

"I've got football practise with Kiba and Naruto after school. Maybe another time."

He could easily see the way her shoulders slumped as he spoke. It wasn't that he hated her, it was just that they were on separate paths, and though she was happy to ignore the cliché high school rules, Sasuke wasn't.

"Oh … right. Well, maybe I could watch you guys? I could sit on the bleachers and do some homework while you guys practise."

"Karin and the others are going to be there …"

Sakura nodded dejectedly. Of course 'Karin and the others' were going to be there. They were _always _there. Karin was head of the cheerleaders, not to mention head of the Sasuke Uchiha fan club. Ever since that incident in the canteen, the two girls had, for lack of a better term, hated each other. If Sakura turned up to see the boys practise while Karin and co were there … things wouldn't end well.

Sakura sighed. She, being a so-called 'geek', wasn't stupid. She knew that Sasuke was the most popular guy in school, and she knew she was probably the least. But, though the pinkette knew this, she silently hoped that the past few years would've meant _something_ to the Uchiha, and that he would still consider her a friend, despite their contrasting social status. Alas, she had quickly learned that wasn't the case.

"Right … well, I guess I'll see you around then, Sasuke." And with one last broken smile, Sakura took off in the opposite direction.

Sasuke just sighed.

* * *

_Until, one day, you rediscover that same song …_

* * *

"Hinata, we _have_ to do something! I told you, I am organising a party. It's not every day your best friend turns twenty one now, is it? Enough said. See you later."

Sakura sighed and put her phone back in her pocket as she wandered the hospital hallway. She had the same argument with Hinata every year since high school, and Sakura always managed to win due to her annoying persistence. As she walked, her white doctor's coat swished around her, and she wished she could take it off. For a December afternoon, the weather was quite warm, and she could definitely feel the heat inside the hospital.

The pinkette turned a corner, and her destination was revealed. Her mentor's voice could be heard from one of the nearby wards, and Sakura made her way down the corridor, leaning against the door frame of the ward her mentor was in, waiting for her to be done.

"You're going to be in here for a few days while your leg heals up, and when you're released I urge you not to do the same thing, or you'll end up back at this hospital. A ward or the morgue, do you really want to take the risk?"

The young boy on the bed shook his head frantically, careful not to move the massive cast around his left leg. Sakura let out a small cough, and the blonde woman's head turned, smiling at Sakura, before replacing the clipboard at the bottom of the boy's bed and giving him a stern look before she walked out, shutting the door gently behind her.

"Tsunade-sama, don't you think that was a bit harsh?"

Tsunade shrugged, "Sakura, I feel it's always best to be honest with patients. Especially the younger generation, or they'll just keep doing the same thing again and again. Take that boy, for example. He's fifteen and thought it would be a good idea to tackle one of his friends during their football practise at school. He tripped and got a broken leg in return. If you just give him a slap on the hand, he'll leave this place and attempt the tackle again. I may have been a bit over dramatic about the morgue, but he doesn't have to know that."

Sakura laughed cheerfully, and Tsunade looked down at her, "Anyway, what did you want?"

"Right, well, I was wondering if I could have the rest of today off. It's my friend's birthday, and I have to organise a party, and we're not really busy here and -"

"Yes."

Sakura stopped in her tracks, "Really? It was that easy?"

Tsunade smiled at the pinkette, "Sakura, over the past few weeks, you've been here all day every day. You're a dedicated student, and I like that, but you are entitled to leave the hospital sometimes. I was beginning to think you started living here. Go. Have fun with your friends."

Sakura grinned from ear to ear and hugged her teacher. Tsunade laughed and patted the girl on the head. With a wave goodbye, Sakura quickly took her doctor's coat off and ran towards the exit of the hospital.

_A few hours later …_

"So, Hinata, what do you think?"

Sakura grinned as her best friend glanced around the room. Hinata was amazed, as always, of Sakura's ability to turn a normal boring room of her house (though her family was rich, she was far too modest to call it a mansion) into a party-palooza, as Sakura herself had called it. Hinata nodded mutely, knowing that the volume of the music was far superior to her timid voice. Sakura's grin expanded as she hugged Hinata tightly, "Happy birthday, Hinata!"

"S-Sakura-chan … I c-can't breathe …"

Sakura apologised and let the girl go. She made sure her grin kept its place as she glanced around the room of people, but deep down she was beginning to get nervous.

Hinata was the kind of girl that was a friend to everybody. Back in high school, she probably subtly helped out most of the student body, and she'd managed to keep most of those friends up until now. Also, having a cousin like Neji, who was probably second most popular guy in school, meant that any party he went to, every one else would too. So Hinata's birthdays often turned out like a high school reunion.

Sakura saw Ino and Kiba dancing like crazy near the DJ that Sakura had hired for the night. She glanced to a table near them and spotted Shikamaru half asleep on a chair beside it, watching the female blonde carefully. Sakura smiled, Shikamaru and Ino had been dating for at least a year now. They were inseparable in high school (though Shikamaru was happy to be among the geeks, since he was the smartest person in every class, and Ino was part of Karin's crew, neither of them seemed to care about the social differences…) and Hinata had told her that she saw the two having lunch in a café a year ago looking more date-like than just two friends having food.

Continuing her observation, she saw Neji talking to Tenten by the bar (Sakura so wished _her_ house had its own bar), probably discussing some sort of weaponry or martial arts. Sakura was friends with Tenten back then, but she was someone that Sakura predicted would stop communicating with her after graduation. Sure enough, despite the occasional nod or smile if they passed each other on the street, they hadn't engaged in any conversation for the last three years. When she saw someone waving, Sakura blinked back to reality, and noticed that it was Tenten smiling at her from the bar. Neji turned and gave a curt nod, and Sakura waved back. That was their conversation for the night.

Due to Hinata's family being so rich, her father had a lot of connection with the school, and so even some of the teachers turned up. Sakura saw Kakashi and Asuma laughing, while Asuma's arm hung loosely around Kurenai's shoulders. One pink eyebrow raised. Sakura didn't know the two were dating. Soon after, Asuma said something to the two, and got out a cigarette, before walking outside to smoke it. The second eyebrow shot up when she saw Kurenai's protruding stomach. Sakura _definitely_ didn't know they were _that_ serious.

"HINATA-CHAN!"

Sakura froze. Hinata jumped and turned to face the owner of the voice, "N-Naruto-kun! H-Hi."

Naruto engulfed the poor Hyuuga heiress in a large hug, and she was nearly suffocated a second time that night. Sakura kept her eyesight focused on the blonde, even when she saw the silhouette of a man coming up behind him.

Naruto turned to Sakura, a huge smile on his face, "Hey, Sakura-chan! Awesome party! I missed you!" Naruto's smile became infectious as Sakura grinned too, before they both went in for a hug, "I missed you too, Naruto. It's been a while."

Naruto nodded enthusiastically. He hadn't spent much time with Sakura for a very long while. He did miss her, and he tried to see her as often as he could, but with her training at the hospital and him practically living with the Sasuke, it gradually became harder and harder. Naruto hugged her again, before going back to Hinata, and dragging her off somewhere.

Sakura bit her lip. She had now been left alone with the one person she hoped she wouldn't see, because he often made it so clear that he didn't want to see her.

Sasuke stood in front of her, seeming just as awkward as she felt. He hadn't seen Sakura since graduation, and he wasn't sure where he stood with her any more. They were both mature twenty-year-olds now, no longer manipulated by high school cliques or popularity contests. Sasuke wasn't going to lie (but he wasn't going to say it out loud), he _had_ missed Sakura, and he hoped the pinkette felt the same.

He watched her fidgeting, and wondered if she was going to start conversation. Sasuke Uchiha was many things, but he was _not_ a conversation starter.

The two stood in silence for what seemed like hours, and Sasuke debated on just leaving. But looking at Sakura's uncomfortable form made him stay.

He'd already turned his back on her too many times.

"How have you been?"

Sasuke blinked back to reality and looked at the pinkette before him. She was still avoiding eye contact, but speaking was a good sign.

Sasuke shrugged, "Alright. You?"

Sakura smiled, "Still talking non-stop I see."

"That didn't answer my question."

"I've been good. I'm currently training at Konoha Hospital, and my mentor says I'm doing really well, so … I've been good."

Sasuke nodded. He remembered Naruto telling him once that Sakura was working in a hospital, and was glad that she'd kept it up.

Another silence ensued between them, the music engulfing the awkward atmosphere between them.

"I'm going outside."

Sakura smiled and walked towards the double doors towards the balcony. Sasuke saw it as a sign to follow, so he did.

Once outside, and in a much quieter part of the house, Sakura's eyes finally locked with Sasuke's.

"It's okay."

Sasuke blinked, and raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Sakura chuckled, "I know you feel crap about school. But school's over. I've missed you, Sasuke-kun."

And there it was. The last time she had said his name – a couple of weeks before graduation – the suffix had disappeared. Now, after all this time, it was back, and Sasuke strangely felt a lot more content after hearing it come from Sakura.

"Hn."

Sakura laughed, and turned to lean against the fencing, looking out into the night sky, "I'm gonna take that 'hn' as an 'I've missed you too'."

Sasuke chuckled and leant against the fencing too. _'Good, because that's what it meant.'_

This time, the pair stood in comfortable silence, and as Sakura pointed out random constellations …

Sasuke just smirked.

* * *

_And remember why you loved it so much …_

* * *

**Okay, this took me days. I'd say I don't really like the second half, but if I do, I know some people that might attack me for it. So, yeah. I'm content, I guess.**

**This is very loosely based on my life. By that, I mean, I have a best friend. Had a best friend. I don't know. We were tighter than a pair of speedos for about 4 years of school, then school ended and we went separate colleges, and two years later, it's like I don't really exist anymore. She doesn't attempt to contact me … ever. And I miss her. A lot. So I've been feeling down recently because I wasn't able to go to her birthday meal and I feel bleugh about it, and thought I'd do a story about it. Only, in this, there's a happy ending. I guess. So yeah. This is to all the people that have lost touch with good friends in the past.**

**On a lighter note. Man Karin's bitchy. I'm pretty sure this is the first time I've ever written about Karin, so yay? But I needed her to be bitchy. Coz I've seen enough American high school television shows to know that every school has at least one bitchy cheerleader. And it couldn't be Ino. Sigh.**

**Also, yay for me, it's my 40th fanfic. Dunno when that happened. I was also scrolling down my stories list, and noticed that while a lot of my one-shots get about seven or eight reviews, one of them, _The Talk_, got 21. What the hell? I do not remember that. Made me well happy :D**

**Anyhoo, for some reason I feel a little dizzy, and it's still horribly hot, and now I'm going to attempt to get some sleep, though it's unlikely, because I HATE THIS WEATHER.**

**Hope you enjoyed!**

**Over and out :)**

**-x-Emma**


End file.
